


A Different Kind of Quiet

by maraschinomilk



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Complete, F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I used she/her pronouns but in the sequel to this the nb will be more evident tbh, Nonbinary Haruhi, Other, Slow Build, Study Date, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, study "date"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-05-31 12:44:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15119663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maraschinomilk/pseuds/maraschinomilk
Summary: There are many kinds of quiet.Some quiets are distant, cold like a winter chill poking at tired bones.And some... some are warm and familiar, like a bowl of ramen, a shared kotatsu, the calm breathing of a close friend.





	1. Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there!  
> This is my first time writing a proper fan fic in Y E A R S and I originally intended for this to be a one shot, but... realistically if I make this how I want to it'll probably be at least 3 chapters. ^^;
> 
> Since this is my first fic in a while and I wanted it to be more of a warm up I didn't heavily edit,  
> but if anything feels super OOC let me know!

  

  

_**Kiss kiss fall in love!** _

 

Haruhi let out a short groan and rolled her eyes as she stood from her seat on floor to grab her phone from the charger. She didn’t know which of the twins had changed her ringtone or when-- or how they even got into her phone’s settings for that matter-- but the pop track blasting from the tinny speaker was the last thing she needed while studying. She didn’t have many days free and finals were coming up, after all. With a resigned sigh she trod across the small room and looked at the screen.

  

[ Incoming Call: Kyoya Ootori ] 

  

Haruhi hit the answer button as she popped the phone off of the charger and raised it to her ear. At least this would be short.

  

“Hey, Kyoya senpai. What’s up?”  


  

\-----------

  

Kyoya had been looking over his own notes, a chill in the large space that was his bedroom. It wasn’t that he disliked the quiet, but the emptiness of the house made it almost eerie. Having become so accustomed to the presence and occasional quip of the others in the club room, he felt… lonely. And while he would never admit it, he found himself mulling over the idea of calling any number of his friends to study with him.

  

It took all of ten seconds to decide that was a terrible and all-but-impossible idea. Tamaki was too rambunctious, the twins showed little interest in studying, and Honey and Mori-- being third years-- were dealing with a whole different set of studying standards. Before he knew it, he had absent-mindedly picked up his phone and dialed in Haruhi’s number. If anyone would be worth it to study with, it would be her. Kyoya shrugged to himself and hit the call button, holding the phone between his head and shoulder as he gathered some papers and waited for her to pick up.

  

\----------

  

“You want to study together?” Haruhi asked, “We don’t have any classes together though. It wouldn’t really be beneficial for either of us, since we have such different curriculums..?”

   __

 _“I agree, to an extent. However I did take a majority of the same classes as you last year, so I would be able to help therein. Moreso, I would just like someone to occasionally give me another viewpoint or bounce ideas off of. I know how you value quiet, and don’t necessarily want to talk a whole lot myself,”_ Kyoya explained over the phone, _“It’s not necessary, but I figured I would ask.”_

  

Haruhi hummed in contemplation, “I guess when you put it that way, it does sound pretty nice. Has anyone else said anything about it?”

  

_“Think about what you just said,”_ Kyoya states flatly, _“Do you really want those loudmouths interrupting the small amount of actual study time we can get?”_

  

“Oh,” Haruhi chuckles dryly, remembering the normal state of the club room and why she had to study so much at home in the first place, “Yeah, fair point. Did you want to meet up at the library, then? Or maybe a cafe?”

  

_“No need, it’s too cold for both of us to go out. I’ll just come to your apartment,”_ Kyoya paused, _“Unless you have any protest, that is.”_

  

“No, that’s fine. Honestly it’s really comfortable in here, and I don’t think it will feel too crowded with the only the two of us.”

  

_“Fantastic. I’ll be there in about half an hour, then.”_

  

Haruhi heard the click of the call ending and placed her phone on the table before shuffling into the kitchen to assess the fridge. It didn’t have much, but there was enough to snack on if they got hungry and the basics for tea. She pulled out a couple mugs and the tea leaves preemptively, leaving them to rest on the counter. She would turn on the kettle when Kyoya arrived.

  

\-------------

  

A light knock stirred Haruhi from the problem she was going over. The warmth of the kotatsu made it all too easy to zone out.

  

“Coming!” she yelled as she stood and stretched her stiffening legs.

  

When she opened the door, the sudden early-December breeze sent a chill down her spine. The last rays of the setting sun shone red and golds behind the rooftops and boy in front of her. A small smile tugged at her lips as she stepped aside to let a smartly-- but obviously quite comfortably-- dressed Kyoya inside. She was glad he hadn’t gone to too much effort, as she herself was only in joggers and a chunky knit sweater.

  

Kyoya returned the smile with a small tilt of his head as he stepped through the door, his school bag in one hand. He raised the other as he kicked off his shoes. A simple shopping bag was in his grasp, but it smelled delicious.

  

“A study aid and gift for the sudden intrusion,” he offered, “Pardon me for assuming you haven’t eaten dinner yet, but it is still a bit early. I just stopped off at a local ramen shop.”

  

“Oh, thank you Kyoya. That’s really thoughtful!” Haruhi beamed as she took the bag over to the kitchen counter. “I’ll make some tea too! You can make yourself at home. Dad is working late tonight, so we should be able to make plenty of progress.”

  

Kyoya nodded and shut the door before heading into the main room, folding his coat and setting it in the closet before putting his bag down. He re-entered the kitchen and brought the ramen to the kotatsu as Haruhi measured out the tea leaves, the water already starting to bubble in the kettle. After setting the food out for the both of them, Kyoya found himself a comfortable spot opposite your notes under the kotatsu and pulled his own from his bag. He smiled as he leafed through the pages. The small apartment was quiet, but comforting. Alive. Warm.

  

Haruhi entered the room shortly after, two steaming mugs of tea in her hands. She placed them on the table before snuggling back under the kotatsu, her knees just brushing Kyoya’s. Rolling her shoulders first, she gathered her notes into a slightly neater pile and pulled her bowl of ramen closer. Kyoya took a sip of his tea as he noticed the content smile on Haruhi’s face.

  

A lazy half smile pulled at his lips as he felt his cheeks flush ever so slightly with warmth. Whether it was the tea, the kotatsu, a combination of the two, or something else entirely he didn’t know, but he didn’t mind. He set his mug down and pulled his own bowl closer as he locked eyes with the girl across from him.

  

“The tea is delicious. Shall we?”  


  

“Yeah, let’s! The sooner we eat the sooner we can focus on studying, right?”

  

The duo chuckled in unison and started on their ramen, the only sounds between them the clink of tableware and the slight slurping of noodles.


	2. Watching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Studying together _seemed_ like a good idea, but maybe it would be more of a distraction than a help...

The now empty bowls of ramen sat in the sink as Haruhi and Kyoya’s notes spread out across the table as they studied. Aside from the shuffle of paper and the occasional bubbling of the kettle, the only sounds were ambient. A gust of wind here, a car passing on the street below there, the gentle hum of the kotatsu… Haruhi didn’t even think the library could be this quiet, and she made a mental note to that Kyoya for suggesting staying in later.  


She looked up from her notes for a second to look at the boy across from her. Kyoya’s head was down slightly, and in the space between his glasses and face Haruhi could just see the gentle fan of long lashes. His normal aloof expression was replaced with one of unbarred focus, the mischievous glint in his eye now a soft determination as his gaze shifted across the page. The pen in Kyoya’s long fingers seemed to write with an unnatural grace and smoothness, and Haruhi wondered if that was on his behalf or if the pen itself was worth more than her apartment.

Before she knew it, Haruhi found herself-- chin in her hand, elbow propped on the kotatsu-- smiling at the sight before her. The way Kyoya would purse his lips and furrowed his brows at certain words, and rolls his eyes at others. How he would roll his shoulders and occasionally run a hand through his hair. The care he took in pushing back his glasses when they fell too far down his nose. And before she knew it, Haruhi found herself blushing at the smirk that grew on Kyoya’s face as he blinked and locked eyes with her over his glasses.

  


“Haruhi, I don’t mind the staring,” he drawled, amusement evident in his voice, “but you should at least _try_ to study as you do so.”

  


What started as a small blush spread like wildfire across Haruhi’s face as she sat upright and dropped her hands to her lap. _He noticed?_ she thought. _How long ago did he notice? How long have I just been sitting here?_

  


Kyoya chuckled, “You aren’t subtle, but it’s one of the many things that makes you cute, Haruhi.”

“Wha--..? I... “ Haruhi stammered as her face grew hotter and her gaze dropped back to her notes “I’m sorry I don’t know what got into me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so relaxed and… it’s kind of nice? You always have this cool facade during school or club outings and I guess I wanted to take advantage of seeing what you’re like when your guard is down… I’m sorry.”

  


Kyoya rested his own chin on his hand and reached the other over the table to lightly ruffle Haruhi’s hair.

  


“There’s no need for you to apologize. The only reason I let my guard down so much is because you make it so I can. It’s nice, sitting here with you. Even with how quiet it is, I don’t feel the need to fill silence. Your presence is-- simply put-- the most relaxing thing I have yet experienced.”

  


Haruhi nodded as she tried to will away the blush across her cheeks and dared to glance up. Kyoya’s smirk had been replaced by a gentle smile, and Haruhi could swear that his eyes-- while still playful-- were brighter than normal. They were soft, but sparkled with emotion that she couldn’t quite pin. If she had asked, Kyoya would tell her straight out: admiration, longing, thankfulness, content… Perhaps he would even be so bold as to confess that the one feeling he felt around her more than any other was the slow burning fire of love.

As their eyes met Kyoya’s smile grew wider. Were he a weaker man, those big brown eyes of Haruhi’s and the lingering pink of embarrassment on her face would melt not only his heart but his whole body along with it...

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez, this chapter is short.  
> I've been getting slammed with work lately and have been mad tired but... it's something.  
> I start another 6 day work week today but fingers crossed that I'll be able to write the next (and final!) chapter of this through the week and post it Monday >~<
> 
> Meanwhile, I'm trying to decide on what my next fic should be and I'm tied between this spy AU I have for Voltron and this "x reader/OC" idea I have for BNHA and like... why do I do this to myself lmao  
> Let me know which you would be more interested in?  
> I'm going to write them both eventually but I may as well start where the interest is 乁(´・ω・｀)∫


	3. With You

What Kyoya did next shocked Haruhi. It wasn’t the sudden proximity of Kyoya rising from his seat to situate himself next to her on the other side of the kotatsu-- there had been plenty of times where the two where physically close-- but how innocent it was. It was out of character for him to give up his personal space, especially given how little there was to begin with, but Haruhi couldn’t think of an ulterior motive. She gave him a questioning look as he reached across the table for his notes.

 

“What?” Kyoya beamed, “If we aren’t sitting across from each other we can’t get distracted by staring, but this is still nice, no?”

 

Joke aside, Haruhi was maybe more confused. No… confused wasn’t the right word in this situation. Her heart was tight and she could feel the corners of her eyes crinkle slightly in a sort of secret smile. It was nice. It was really nice. The best way she could describe what she felt springing to life through her being was a dull, warm ache that melded with the gentle heat from the kotatsu and boy next to her. She let a small smile grace her features and returned to her notes.

 

“Yeah… It is.”

 

Time passed with few words between the two friends as they continued their study session. Occasionally one would steal a glance at the other, and the times their eyes would meet would be marked with embarrassed smiles and questions on the curriculum they already knew the answers to. Before either of them knew it, six o’clock was eight o’clock and Haruhi stretched her arms out and over her head, lightly brushing his arm as she did. A lazy yawn left her lips as she twisted her torso back and forth.

 

Kyoya placed his highlighter on the table and cracked his knuckles as he mused, “I suppose it has gotten quite late, hasn’t it?”

“Mmm…” Haruhi hummed in agreement and shut her eyes just a second too long to be a blink as she dropped her arms back down.

“I suppose I should arrange to head home, then--”

 

Kyoya made to reach for his cell phone on the opposite side of the tabletop, but was stopped by a light-- almost hesitant-- hand on his forearm.

 

“You don’t need to do that, Kyoya,” Haruhi mumbled through another small yawn.

“Aren’t you tired? You should relax and get some sleep, Haruhi.”

“I’m not tired so much as _warm_. The most I need right now is a short power nap,” Haruhi protested, the veil of sleepiness over the stubborn words making Kyoya chuckle, “Besides, it’s easier for you to study here, right? We’ll both be done within another hour or two, and I don’t mind the company…”

 

Kyoya drew his arm back and placed his palm on top of Haruhi’s head. 

 

“Sure. But don’t force yourself to stay awake for my sake. If you fall asleep I’ll wake you shortly after.”

 

Haruhi nodded curtly and yawned again. Kyoya ruffled her hair and she shoved her notes across the table.

 

“Thank you, Kyoya,” she cooed as she lay her head on the smooth surface and shut her eyes.

“Of course,” he said as he picked his highlighter again continuing softly, a pleased smile on his lips as he glanced at Haruhi’s resting face, “That’s the third time you’ve used my name without an honorific, by the way, Haruhi.”

 

A thoughtful expression pursed Haruhi’s lips as she opened one eye to look at Kyoya. Had she not been using honorifics? Then again, it didn’t really surprise her, now that she thought about it. When Kyoya had first called her, she thought she saw him as little more than a upperclassman and club friend. As the evening went on, she felt closer to him than ever. Or maybe she had always felt that closeness, but hadn’t yet realized it. 

A swell of warmth rose to her cheeks as she gave a name to the feeling she had been trying to place all evening: love. It wasn’t the kind of unconditional love one has for a family member, or the steadfast love of a married couple. It was one that slowly crept its way into Haruhi’s existence, guided by friendship and spurred on by the trust and respect of similarity. It didn’t feel fragile or superficial, Haruhi felt, but it wasn’t the kind that had to be vigorously pursued, either. A quiet love, young and unspoken, but comforting and full of potential.

Haruhi closed her eye once more and replaced the purse of her lips with a relaxed smile. She wouldn’t say anything, but she guessed that Kyoya felt similarly, if not the same. Almost as if he knew what Haruhi was thinking, knew he had been found out, Kyoya’s features softened.

 

“I suppose it is,” Haruhi mused as she began to nod off, “But I guess, Kyoya, that I’m also the most relaxed when I’m with you.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaah, here we are. The end of this short little scenario. :'3  
> I kind of fell in love with this idea a lot more than I intended to, and trying to keep it short and sweet makes me feel like I left out a lot of things?  
> So once this gets enough attention I'll probably use "A Different Kind of Quiet" as the starting point for a full-blown, planned KyoHaru fic. (･ω<)☆ lol  
> Until then/while I plan that out, I'm going to be starting on a BNHA fic, so keep your eyes open later this week for that?
> 
> Thank you so much for reading my first AO3 fic! I hope you enjoyed it! Until next time~♥


End file.
